i have cancer all over my arms and chest. It is squamous cell and its very bad. I have had 9 surgeries. This is my third week on efudex and i am so sick and miserable. Does anyone know if this is worth it? Will it be gone after 6 weeks? I feel i can not take much more . I am so depressed.

It might help to read about someone else's experiences. He used Efudex on his face, and he created a photographic journal of the experience. (You can also find it by clicking on “Sticky: Topical Treatment Pictures” and then on the post by fforest on 7/26/2007.)

The link Martha1 provided still amazes me because of the anguish that fellow must have endured. I don't know how he kept going. And honestly, the "before" picture didn't seem that bad.

Efudex does work but I wonder if a combo treatment would work better or at least faster. Two things that come to my mind to consider adding are orange oil (d-limonene) and DMSO. Both could help the Efudex penetrate deeper and both have anticancer properties of their own. Keep in mind that any combo treatment has to be regarded as completely experimental. I think the eggplant-vinegar-orange oil+ treatment that fforest used (sticky topic in this forum) is a very promising and hopefully much less painful alternative to consider.

The link Martha1 provided still amazes me because of the anguish that fellow must have endured. I don't know how he kept going. And honestly, the "before" picture didn't seem that bad.

Efudex does work but I wonder if a combo treatment would work better or at least faster. Two things that come to my mind to consider adding are orange oil (d-limonene) and DMSO. Both could help the Efudex penetrate deeper and both have anticancer properties of their own. Keep in mind that any combo treatment has to be regarded as completely experimental. I think the eggplant-vinegar-orange oil+ treatment that fforest used (sticky topic in this forum) is a very promising and hopefully much less painful alternative to consider.

Anne, thanks for the post and know that you are in our prayers.

Hi Dan.

I have used efudex on my hand, arm, lip, forehead and nose to treat ak's and scc in situ. It works but it's a miserable treatment. It does work though, and one tube is around $100 and it will last a long long time if you don't waste it.

Anyway, I wanted to write to say that I read a paper from one Dermatologist who said that even with regular 5fu treatment some is absorbed systemically. There have been no studies on otherwise healthy people on internal 5fu and the actions it has internally are sort of undefined in a healthy person according to him and since it works by inhibiting DNA synthesis, that's a powerful thing inside you. So, I can't see mixing it with DMSO. I would think that would risk a high blood level that might not be so good. Anyway, I don't think I'd do it and wanted to make sure people consider that angle.

The 5% (5fu) as I;m sure you are aware, is powerful stuff on it's own. If you use it long enough it will go very deep. Basically the way it works on me is that you keep using it and it keeps eating deeper and then finally you get to stop. My derm says 4 weeks on the face, six on the arms and hands (it worked in 4 for me on my hand) and two on the lip. One reason I'm here is to look for better alternatives.

The way they discovered efudex worked on skin cancer is when they were using it as a chemotherapy drug the people being treated for internal cancers ( who also by chance had known or unkown skin cancers) would light up everywhere there was a skin cancer.

What efudex does in 4 to 5 weeks bloodroot does in 24 hours. My derm was blown away by my bloodroot treatment pictures and agreed that it is exactly the same reaction as aldara or efudex but just much faster.

BTW Efudex can be purchased out of Canada or Mexico online for much less. I bought a tube in Tijuana when I was down there for $10. It can be ordered online at several online stores.

Curaderm, Sunspot both use the glycoalkaloids derived from eggplant and seem to get a similar reaction somewhere in between Efudex and Bloodroot.

I am currently experimenting with eggplant vinegar mixture with fingers crossed results so far. Several here (Mexico, Rocco and FForest) have had success using the kitchen sink approach using combos with success.

The way they discovered efudex worked on skin cancer is when they were using it as a chemotherapy drug the people being treated for internal cancers ( who also by chance had known or unkown skin cancers) would light up everywhere there was a skin cancer.

What efudex does in 4 to 5 weeks bloodroot does in 24 hours. My derm was blown away by my bloodroot treatment pictures and agreed that it is exactly the same reaction as aldara or efudex but just much faster.

BTW Efudex can be purchased out of Canada or Mexico online for much less. I bought a tube in Tijuana when I was down there for $10. It can be ordered online at several online stores.

Curaderm, Sunspot both use the glycoalkaloids derived from eggplant and seem to get a similar reaction somewhere in between Efudex and Bloodroot.

I am currently experimenting with eggplant vinegar mixture with fingers crossed results so far. Several here (Mexico, Rocco and FForest) have had success using the kitchen sink approach using combos with success.

I'm using efudex on a spot on my arm right now...one more week to go to make 4 weeks. It totally sucks I hate that stuff. I bought some sunspot ES and also some of the Cmyllum (probably spelled wrong) and I'm going to use that if anything new pops up in that area to see how it works.

I also mixed up a batch of the eggplant vinegar mixture by just chopping up an organic eggplant and putting it in the blender and using just enough apple cider vinegar to make it into a paste. I'm trying that on a few isolated spots as an experiment.

I've been scared about the bloodroot after I saw a picture of some lady's nose that fell off. I have heard that it only goes after cancerous tissue and I have also heard that it goes after everything and don't know what to believe about that????

I've been scared about the bloodroot after I saw a picture of some lady's nose that fell off. I have heard that it only goes after cancerous tissue and I have also heard that it goes after everything and don't know what to believe about that????

I KNOW Bloodroot paste ( at least what I have used ) has no effect on healthy skin ( at least mine ) I did a test spot on my "very white never seen the sun" hip and it had no effect after 24 hours.

Unfortunately the horror stories out there are absolutely true. The problem is they don't include the fact that the woman who lost her nose would have lost her nose with or without bloodroot paste. If it had been Mohs they would have needed to take all the cancerous tissue also. So it is all about the facts there are many people missing ears noses and lips that never used bloodroot but had skin cancer.

I've been scared about the bloodroot after I saw a picture of some lady's nose that fell off. I have heard that it only goes after cancerous tissue and I have also heard that it goes after everything and don't know what to believe about that????

I KNOW Bloodroot paste ( at least what I have used ) has no effect on healthy skin ( at least mine ) I did a test spot on my "very white never seen the sun" hip and it had no effect after 24 hours.

Unfortunately the horror stories out there are absolutely true. The problem is they don't include the fact that the woman who lost her nose would have lost her nose with or without bloodroot paste. If it had been Mohs they would have needed to take all the cancerous tissue also. So it is all about the facts there are many people missing ears noses and lips that never used bloodroot but had skin cancer.

The treatment time using the Efudex-DMSO combo was reportedly shortened considerably and the number of treatments was reduced from 56 (28 days at 2x per day) to 4 (4 days at 1x per day). Also four to six week treatments with Efudex cream may result in an unsightly wound in the skin and final scarring. Earnest never noticed any erythema (redness) from the DMSO-Efudex combo nor any final scars.

The treatment specifically was one part by volume of 5% Efudex cream mixed into four parts by volume of 99.7% DMSO. Earnest applied the mixture to the bleeding sore on his ear with a brush. This application was repeated daily for four days. A scab formed and with no further attention came off after about four weeks revealing normal unscarred skin.

Anyway, the reduced number of treatments perhaps mitigates some of the concern about the Efudex being absorbed systemically. Earnest noted that the DMSO-Efudex is also useful for treating fungal infections. Hmmm, there is that skin cancer and fungus infection connection again.

The treatment time using the Efudex-DMSO combo was reportedly shortened considerably and the number of treatments was reduced from 56 (28 days at 2x per day) to 4 (4 days at 1x per day). Also four to six week treatments with Efudex cream may result in an unsightly wound in the skin and final scarring. Earnest never noticed any erythema (redness) from the DMSO-Efudex combo nor any final scars.

The treatment specifically was one part by volume of 5% Efudex cream mixed into four parts by volume of 99.7% DMSO. Earnest applied the mixture to the bleeding sore on his ear with a brush. This application was repeated daily for four days. A scab formed and with no further attention came off after about four weeks revealing normal unscarred skin.

Anyway, the reduced number of treatments perhaps mitigates some of the concern about the Efudex being absorbed systemically. Earnest noted that the DMSO-Efudex is also useful for treating fungal infections. Hmmm, there is that skin cancer and fungus infection connection again.

good info again Dan, thanks. I'm just finishing up a 4 week 5-fu treatment on my arm for scc in situ after having two removed in that general area and to be honest I'm really just looking for a better alternative to flouracil at this point. My arm looks like it took some of Cheney's buckshot right now. It itches so much the other night I took a bar of exfoliating soap to it and rubbed it until it was raw.

I plan on trying all the treatments on this board in addition to all the dietary changes I have made which I believe are also very important based on the reading I've done.

I'm doing the eggplant/vinegar and so far I am very encouraged by this treatment...it's just taking suspicious spots all over and making them look less suspicious by the day. I'm also using it on my lower lip which has been a constant source of problems...I've had scc in situ removed surgically and used efudex on it 4 times now over a period of 10 years for an ak band around the lower edge of the lower lip which constantly peels and still having problems but so far three days after using the eggplant/vinegar it looks and feels better than it's felt in many years....extremely encouraging overall result so far compared to everything else I've tried. There is definitely something to this idea.

The total outlay was a couple of dollars for an organic eggplant and 88 cents for a bottle of apple cider vinegar. I'll post more results after a few weeks in that thread.

The treatment time using the Efudex-DMSO combo was reportedly shortened considerably and the number of treatments was reduced from 56 (28 days at 2x per day) to 4 (4 days at 1x per day). Also four to six week treatments with Efudex cream may result in an unsightly wound in the skin and final scarring. Earnest never noticed any erythema (redness) from the DMSO-Efudex combo nor any final scars.

The treatment specifically was one part by volume of 5% Efudex cream mixed into four parts by volume of 99.7% DMSO. Earnest applied the mixture to the bleeding sore on his ear with a brush. This application was repeated daily for four days. A scab formed and with no further attention came off after about four weeks revealing normal unscarred skin.

Anyway, the reduced number of treatments perhaps mitigates some of the concern about the Efudex being absorbed systemically. Earnest noted that the DMSO-Efudex is also useful for treating fungal infections. Hmmm, there is that skin cancer and fungus infection connection again.

good info again Dan, thanks. I'm just finishing up a 4 week 5-fu treatment on my arm for scc in situ after having two removed in that general area and to be honest I'm really just looking for a better alternative to flouracil at this point. My arm looks like it took some of Cheney's buckshot right now. It itches so much the other night I took a bar of exfoliating soap to it and rubbed it until it was raw.

I plan on trying all the treatments on this board in addition to all the dietary changes I have made which I believe are also very important based on the reading I've done.

I'm doing the eggplant/vinegar and so far I am very encouraged by this treatment...it's just taking suspicious spots all over and making them look less suspicious by the day. I'm also using it on my lower lip which has been a constant source of problems...I've had scc in situ removed surgically and used efudex on it 4 times now over a period of 10 years for an ak band around the lower edge of the lower lip which constantly peels and still having problems but so far three days after using the eggplant/vinegar it looks and feels better than it's felt in many years....extremely encouraging overall result so far compared to everything else I've tried. There is definitely something to this idea.

The total outlay was a couple of dollars for an organic eggplant and 88 cents for a bottle of apple cider vinegar. I'll post more results after a few weeks in that thread.

Can you please explain the eggplant vinegar solution--how to make it and how to apply it? I'm just finishing week two of the Efudex (which is some scary stuff!!) and I'd love an alternative for the future. Thank you!

The treatment time using the Efudex-DMSO combo was reportedly shortened considerably and the number of treatments was reduced from 56 (28 days at 2x per day) to 4 (4 days at 1x per day). Also four to six week treatments with Efudex cream may result in an unsightly wound in the skin and final scarring. Earnest never noticed any erythema (redness) from the DMSO-Efudex combo nor any final scars.

The treatment specifically was one part by volume of 5% Efudex cream mixed into four parts by volume of 99.7% DMSO. Earnest applied the mixture to the bleeding sore on his ear with a brush. This application was repeated daily for four days. A scab formed and with no further attention came off after about four weeks revealing normal unscarred skin.

Anyway, the reduced number of treatments perhaps mitigates some of the concern about the Efudex being absorbed systemically. Earnest noted that the DMSO-Efudex is also useful for treating fungal infections. Hmmm, there is that skin cancer and fungus infection connection again.

good info again Dan, thanks. I'm just finishing up a 4 week 5-fu treatment on my arm for scc in situ after having two removed in that general area and to be honest I'm really just looking for a better alternative to flouracil at this point. My arm looks like it took some of Cheney's buckshot right now. It itches so much the other night I took a bar of exfoliating soap to it and rubbed it until it was raw.

I plan on trying all the treatments on this board in addition to all the dietary changes I have made which I believe are also very important based on the reading I've done.

I'm doing the eggplant/vinegar and so far I am very encouraged by this treatment...it's just taking suspicious spots all over and making them look less suspicious by the day. I'm also using it on my lower lip which has been a constant source of problems...I've had scc in situ removed surgically and used efudex on it 4 times now over a period of 10 years for an ak band around the lower edge of the lower lip which constantly peels and still having problems but so far three days after using the eggplant/vinegar it looks and feels better than it's felt in many years....extremely encouraging overall result so far compared to everything else I've tried. There is definitely something to this idea.

The total outlay was a couple of dollars for an organic eggplant and 88 cents for a bottle of apple cider vinegar. I'll post more results after a few weeks in that thread.

MyEfudex posted a very useful message about what to do after completing the treatment, when the redness and scabbing become very uncomfortable. Vaseline was also suggested tome by my Dermatologist, to ameliorate the discomfort. The Efudex home page remarkable fails to mention any means to do something about the treatment aftermath, during healing. A distinct failing. Another material offered to me was a topical steroid, but foolishly I ignored it.

The DMSO-Efudex suggestion sounds extremely interesting. DMSO aids the absorption/penetration of chemicals through the skin. Many years ago, I tried it with aspirin with DMSO to take care of some muscle pain, and it seemed to help. Now we have Ibuprofen and other NSAIDs.

My complexion is pretty much the same as the gentleman with link posted above. I am in my 7th day of Efudex treatment and for the last couple of days I have been experiencing the sunburn like pain and the damaged areas are showing up like neon. I am using the Efudex on my entire scalp, forehead, cheaks nose and ears. This is going to be fun (not really).

For some reason my Dermatologist only has me being treated for 2 weeks.

I'm looking at options for my "after treatment" to help alleviate some of the dryness and discomfort. I just ordered some pure Emu Oil and was wondering if anyone has thought of trying this as a moisturizer. I have been using the Blu-emu for a couple of months to help alleviate dry skin on the top of my head (it's bald up there) and it works great with no greasy feeling.

Can you please explain the eggplant vinegar solution--how to make it and how to apply it? I'm just finishing week two of the Efudex (which is some scary stuff!!) and I'd love an alternative for the future. Thank you!

The treatment time using the Efudex-DMSO combo was reportedly shortened considerably and the number of treatments was reduced from 56 (28 days at 2x per day) to 4 (4 days at 1x per day). Also four to six week treatments with Efudex cream may result in an unsightly wound in the skin and final scarring. Earnest never noticed any erythema (redness) from the DMSO-Efudex combo nor any final scars.

The treatment specifically was one part by volume of 5% Efudex cream mixed into four parts by volume of 99.7% DMSO. Earnest applied the mixture to the bleeding sore on his ear with a brush. This application was repeated daily for four days. A scab formed and with no further attention came off after about four weeks revealing normal unscarred skin.

Anyway, the reduced number of treatments perhaps mitigates some of the concern about the Efudex being absorbed systemically. Earnest noted that the DMSO-Efudex is also useful for treating fungal infections. Hmmm, there is that skin cancer and fungus infection connection again.

good info again Dan, thanks. I'm just finishing up a 4 week 5-fu treatment on my arm for scc in situ after having two removed in that general area and to be honest I'm really just looking for a better alternative to flouracil at this point. My arm looks like it took some of Cheney's buckshot right now. It itches so much the other night I took a bar of exfoliating soap to it and rubbed it until it was raw.

I plan on trying all the treatments on this board in addition to all the dietary changes I have made which I believe are also very important based on the reading I've done.

I'm doing the eggplant/vinegar and so far I am very encouraged by this treatment...it's just taking suspicious spots all over and making them look less suspicious by the day. I'm also using it on my lower lip which has been a constant source of problems...I've had scc in situ removed surgically and used efudex on it 4 times now over a period of 10 years for an ak band around the lower edge of the lower lip which constantly peels and still having problems but so far three days after using the eggplant/vinegar it looks and feels better than it's felt in many years....extremely encouraging overall result so far compared to everything else I've tried. There is definitely something to this idea.

The total outlay was a couple of dollars for an organic eggplant and 88 cents for a bottle of apple cider vinegar. I'll post more results after a few weeks in that thread.

Using externals to attack “the spot”:I did not take the “kitchen sink” approach, although there were many topical applications recommended on the website that interested me. I had already tried a paste of pancreatin and found it so disruptive that I could not tell what was happening. At the time I started using the website in November there was quite a lot of discussion on using eggplant and vinegar. I read whatever I could find on the anti-cancer, apoptosis-causing properties of eggplant, and found the story about the “Devil’s Apple” in Australia and all the material about Curaderm convincing. Rather than pay for Curaderm right away, I decided on the homemade mixture and found it tolerable when applied.Also, having never paid any attention to the idea of skin cancer before, I found that on my wrist there was a “freckle” which seemed to have elevated itself about 1/32nd of an inch and then caught on a sleeve, causing bleeding. I didn’t like the looks of that, so I put some of the eggplant mixture there with a bandage. This tiny spot seemed to be improving within days and finally became only the slightest freckle. Because of this and my reading and also because of the discussion on the forum, I decided to use the eggplant mixture and stick with that, rather than mixing a whole lot of things together or switching constantly.

Observing the Eggplant-Vinegar Mixture:I made the eggplant-vinegar mixture pretty much as indicated on the website. I did use apple cider vinegar but I did not use organic eggplant. I puréed it the best that I could, although the seeds remained. Later on I strained the purée, which is quite timestaking with the raw eggplant, but gives a much more manageable mixture. I kept the mixture in the refrigerator most of the time, but not always. Neither leaving it out for a few days nor letting it get fairly old seem to hurt it.I started by applying the eggplant with a bandage over the spot, ordinary easy-pull-off bandages (not the stick-tight variety), or the micropore tape, sometimes even masking tape. This worked fine on my wrist, but I found that when the bandage held the mixture near my eye either the fumes or the liquid spreading on my skin or my eyelashes spreading it caused irritation inside my eye. This was tolerable but did not seem to be a good idea.Next I tried “swiping” the mixture over the main spot as often during the day as I could remember to do it. I think this is when I made the least progress, probably because the quantity was just too thin. Later I went back to applying a good-size “gob” of the stuff over the spot and letting it just dry in place and stay there without a bandage. As one poster to the website mentioned, it seemed that each time the dried-up remainder of the gob was removed some skin peeled off and there were signs of improvement.Regarding the changes in the spot, as one poster said (FForest, I think), almost as soon as I started with the mixture there was increased definition in the area. My BCC (size of a dime) had at that time left the “crater” stage and gone to a “pearls” stage. After applying the eggplant mixture, these pearls became more visible and seemed to separate from the spot. Over the weeks that I continued, I would say that the “pearls” slowly shriveled, disintegrated, and peeled off, although not completely.In the middle of the treatment I had to return to the cosmetic surgeon for some questions about the biopsy. I quit using the mixture a couple of days before so that my face would look a bit more normal. And I think it was when I resumed that I started the “gob” application. It seemed that the quantity of mixture now at times was almost too irritating. The entire area of the actual spot and perhaps some places nearby were getting quite sore and red. This is probably desirable, but it leads me to suggest what I next tried with the break for the doctor visit, namely, “taking a vacation” once in a while and letting the surrounding skin kind of catch up and be more generally healthy.My experience overall favors the “long and slow” approach, if and when I ever have another spot like this to deal with. I understand the concern about penetrating the depth of the spot, which is not named “basal” for nothing – it comes from the base of the skin. But a gradual exfoliation, worked on constantly, with “vacations,” seems constructive to me. Someone might reply that the reason I ultimately required the operation at the end of two months is that I had not reached the depth of the cancer. And I would say yes, that is why more time would be needed, but to have gone “faster” and more destructively did not seem to be a good idea. I think that I got better progress the other way.

To atibati: When you obtain some Efudex cream, here is how I have used it. Put a glob less than the volume of a pin head (a sphere of cream less than 0.05" in diameter) on the head of a pin. Rub it over the cancerous spot into a very, very thin layer. It should cover an area of at least 0.25" in diameter (= 6mm diameter) up to as much as 0.4" in diameter. Repeat at least once a day. Maybe twice a day is better if the area gets scrubbed off or washed clean. Application every day is fine but I've found it is not too critical, and if the area gets too sore, let it recover for a few days to a week and if the cancer has not gone, repeat. I've cleared up dozens of small cancers on my face and scalp and several on my neck with only a couple getting too sore. You don't want to overdo the treatment and break thru the skin. Stop and let the skin fully heal as you etch the cancer away thru 10 to 20 layers of skin. Every modern doc I've asked will not prescribe it now, I think because Americans must swab on way way too thick a coating of the stuff, and end up with a bad chemical burn. My brother was a Family Doctor and he warned me to use a tiny speck of the cream and rub it out to a very thin layer. One spot on my forehead grew too large (about 0.7" dia.) for my treatment and he numbed it, cut it away, sent the scraps to oncology, who determined it was squamous cell c.). No big deal, but perhaps $150 at a modern doctor. In about a month or so, it was healed nicely, and has never returned. The scar even went away after ten years. I think the trick was that he didn't scrape too deep and maybe was able to leave a layer or two of skin. I believe we are born with about 30 layers of skin. Efudex was $200 a tube when I priced it here in Va. circa 2007. CanadianDrugCenter-dot-com lists a 40 gm tube for $55.15 US.

I'm currently finishing about week two of efudex to treat aks and bccs by my eye/nose and on the bridge of my nose. I also have a bcc (hope it's not scc) on my forehead that has been burned twice by dermatologists, only to have it return. The first time it was burned they went deep and left a slight divit and there was pigment loss. I look terrible as a result of the redness and inflamation because of the efudex and am considering stopping and letting my skin heal a little. I've been using it religiously twice a day. I pile on the makeup during the day to hide and stay the heck out of the sun. I have used efudex before with great results. We got our efudex in Mexico a couple of years ago. It does last a long time and to me, is WELL worth the money. I have an aunt who will be going through a mohs procedure next week for two basals and one squamous on her nose. They aren't sure how deep they have to go and she'll probably need skin grafts afterward. My advice to all of you is treat these early, no matter how uncomfortable. Be well and good luck!

I hope you will post again and tell me how it's going. I just started 10 days ago and so far it's not TOO bad. Breaking out in neon pink spots on the nose, around my nose, mouth, mostly. The rest of the skin does not seem to effected yet. No overall redness. Some around my mouth have begun to weep a little and others are getting scally. I do try to cover it during the day with make-up but it's getting harder.

Greetings everyone. This is my first contribution to this discussion. I just wanted to tell you all that I had a very positive experience with efudex. i am extremely fair skinned and was raised in subtropical Queensland (skin-cancer central), Australia (now living in America). I recently turned 50 and have had chronic problems with sun damaged skin for the last twenty or more years. i have had countless aks and bccs removed with liquid nitrogen and several sccs removed by mohs procedures. Until a year ago, when I decided drastic action was required, I had literally dozens of keratoses and such on my face.

Last annual vacation I sequestered myself away (with wife and then 4-year old daughter) to a country cottage and started the treatment. I was religious about it, applying the cream twice daily (7am and 7pm), lightly massaging liberal but not excessive amounts into the skin of my entire face, leaving a "safe" half-inch zone around the eyes and lips.

Every morning, I took a gentle shower (no soap on the face, just lots of warm water) and patted my face dry with a soft, clean towel. I would then apply the cream. At 7pm I would rinse my face in warm water and apply the cream again.

Not a lot happened in the first few days, but by the end of the week dozens of red spots had emerged. By the tenth day these spots had grown in width and become bright red and sensitive to the touch. I had so many aks and bccs that I lit up like a fire truck. The only parts of my face that weren't red were the areas I'd previously had treated. In any case, I stuck it out--two applications a day for 14 days, exactly.

It wasn't pretty in the second week and it took about ten days to heal once I stopped (the worst of the healing process was over in about seven days). There's no denying that the spots were unsightly. I looked as though I'd been burned, but I lay low and tried to remain hopeful. By the last application, my skin was raw and inflamed. I continued to shower in the morning (still no soap on the face, just a thorough rinse), but now applied, rather gingerly, a coating of aquafor. Same again at night.

I healed remarkably quickly. within three or four days, aks and bccs (some deep and nasty) were washing off with the morning shower. I estimate I had at least 50 to begin with, and after seven days, all but a small few in the area under my eyes had simply peeled off and been replaced by soft, new skin. The remainders took a few more days to work their way loose and I continued to peel lightly in places for another week or so. Beyond that I was a little ruddy for another couple weeks. Folks just assumed, ironically, that I'd gotten "a little too much sun." But my skin now looks and feels better than it has in decades. It's really quite remarkable, and people have remarked. And more importantly, I have nipped a lot of future problems in the bud.

I'm a year out now and though showing my age and bearing some scars from this and other battles, my skin is now soft and clear. Of course I am now super careful about protecting it from the sun.

While I am sure I will continue to have problems with sun damaged skin, at least I now feel like I'm on top of it, whereas, before, the problem spots were so numerous as to be overwhelming.

Hi, Along with my husband we own a emu oil processing plant. I have been using Efudex for almost 2 weeks. I have been taking pictures also. I went to the doctor with 2 spots on my face and he said skin cancer, use Efudex for 2 weeks. The nurse said to use it over my whole face just in case. I now have sores and redness all over my face. So embarrassing although I try not to pay attention. I plan on using our Ultra emu oil and mositurizer as soon as I am done with this. 3 more days, YEAH!!!!!! I know emu oil will work. Just make sure the emu oil that you use is AEA certified. That is the only guarantee that the emu oil you are using has been certifed to reach the trade rules for fully refined emu oil.

quote:Originally posted by alelks

Hello everyone. I just ran across this site.

My complexion is pretty much the same as the gentleman with link posted above. I am in my 7th day of Efudex treatment and for the last couple of days I have been experiencing the sunburn like pain and the damaged areas are showing up like neon. I am using the Efudex on my entire scalp, forehead, cheaks nose and ears. This is going to be fun (not really).

For some reason my Dermatologist only has me being treated for 2 weeks.

I'm looking at options for my "after treatment" to help alleviate some of the dryness and discomfort. I just ordered some pure Emu Oil and was wondering if anyone has thought of trying this as a moisturizer. I have been using the Blu-emu for a couple of months to help alleviate dry skin on the top of my head (it's bald up there) and it works great with no greasy feeling.

Emu lady, thanks for the post. The Efudex experience is not much fun. Please let us know if emu oil helps your healing. BTW, there have been testimonials on the internet regarding emu oil clearing up skin cancer all by itself. Did you happen to give emu oil a try before seeing the dermatologist? I also wonder if Efudex and emu oil combined might be beneficial.

This is my first time on this topic line. I also have been dealing with skin problems for 20 years. I have had Mohs surgeries,(none on my face) on my hands, feet, legs and am now using efudex (fluorouracil) on my legs. I first used it on my arms and chest (eight weeks), what a sight!! Misery for sure - done with that and I am better. My legs are a different story. I have been using efudex for four weeks and the derm wants me to use it for another 2 months. I am sooo tired of using, that I am almost desperate. Has anyone had swelling while on the rx? My ankles and feet and legs are swollen. I am nervous about it going into my system, as I have used efudex for a very long time. Two days ago I stopped putting it on and my swelling went down. Do I go back on it? The derm told me that it could cause depression - yep that too. I am reading about Emu Oil, did the derm recommend it? How do you use it? Please if anyone has anything to help, I am open. Thanks

I just finished my Efudex treatment (two weeks) on my cheeks and temples. I have to say it has been the most agonizing pain I have ever felt. Somehow, the cream managed to move up my cheek and got onto my eyelids which caused major iritation and swelling.

Vaseline was very helpful during this time. I kept the skin moisturized and reduced the burning sensation.

Now that I am finished with the Efudex my dermatologist prescribed Hydrotone which is a vaseline based hydrocortizone cream 2.5%. I put it on last night and my husband and I could not believe the change it made within a few hours. The inflamation has already been reduced and the burning is gone. There is still a good deal of itchiness, but the cream helps elminate some of it.

Also, if anyone who is taking it is having trouble sleeping during treatment the best thing I found is Benadryl. It knocks you out and helps some of the symptoms.

Just some tips for anyone who is or may need to use this form of treatment again. According to my doctor, skin cancer will likely be an on going problem for me due to the amount of sun damage I have done to myself thanks to tanning beds and years of sunbathing.

Good luck and hang in there to anyone is using Efudex. I am pretty hopeful that in the end it will be for the best!

Thanks Summer5644! Your practical tips should be helpful to many and I hope your Efudex treatment will work to prevent skin cancers later. I just wanted to add that my doctor said skin cancer would be an ongoing problem for me also. He was right, but nine years later, I doubt I would hear the same counsel. The many little steps I have taken toward skin cancer prevention have made a enormous difference in my skin health, whereas the expectation was my skin health would further deteriorate over time. By skin cancer prevention I mean employing various nutrition strategies as I really have not used sunscreens but for a few times over those years.

Dan, would you mind giving us some detail about what you're doing (or not doing) these days as far as diet, supplements, etc? I know you've mentioned some things in the past but I'm sure you've tweaked it here and there. Just curious. Thanks!!

I have been using Efudex for 13 days now on my arms and legs for AK with little noticeable reaction. My arms feel sunburned and a bit itchy but not much else. I have been applying cream 2x daily, regular dosage times. Has anyone else experienced this delayed reaction time?

NaturalSAHM, thanks for asking, see the sticky post in the Skin Cancer Prevention Forum http://www.topicalinfo.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=54 for a quick general overview. The supplements I take are not real consistent over time, but lately it is a multivitamin (Source Natural Life Force no iron just 1 tablet instead of the 2 suggested), Coenzyme Q10 100mg, Trader Joe's Omega 3, astaxanthin, vitamin K2, 3000 IU vitamin D, 500mg vitamin C complex, magnesium, and grape seed extract 200mg. At night I take 3mg melatonin and sometimes Source Naturals Pancreatin 8X. For breakfast I often have yogurt mixed with ground flaxseed (part of the Budwig protocol). I look for organic produce, cage free eggs, organic butter. I try to routinely do most of the things I wrote about in the forum post. It all seems to be working for me.

Hi, I have used the efudex for an extra 5 days after reading that at least 4 weeks treatment would be necessary and previous 4 week treatments still had the lesions appearing at the 4 week point.my face healed quickly to a degree after stopping the treatment.But I still have redness on my face which is there 2 months after the treatment stopped-and its not getting better.I appreciate this may now be a chemical burn caused by overuse of the cream.My dermatoligist seems to be at a loss as to how/if the redness can be treated.He has prescribed an anti biotic,Tetralysal 300.He thinks the blood cells are damages causing blood to leak out into my face and thus making the red patches go even redder.Am I now stuck with these red patches , which get redder with heat/exercise or can anything be done?I fear it is too late.Any advice would be greatly appreciated.Thanks.Richard

I am a male 66 yrs old living in Fl I have had many precancer cell removed over the years by freezing them I went to the Dr and she gave me a choice I could freeze them again or use Efudex I chose efudex after seeing what it does to you I am having second thoughts also thinking of using the efudex in small areas at a time and eventually doing the entire face has any one ever usedit inthat way are there any reasons not to do it that way. Thanks for any help this stuff is really powerful stuff Tim3236

Hi tim3236I used Efudex about 6 months ago on my just about my whole face(male 58). I have a history of skin cancers (frozen and cut out). Treatment was twice a day for 2 weeks. The process is uncomfortable and a bit painful towards the end and is very unsightly. But it really works. The results for me were great and I considered it worth the pain and hassle.I took a break for a few months and now am a week into doing my arms. I saw a lot of forums on Efudex before my first treatment so I knew what was coming. People have different experiences and different reactions to the process but just about everyone says that the results are good. By the way I had some hemorrhoids cut out about a month ago - that's real pain and I would rather do the Efudex than repeat that one.Good luckRegardsGary

i have cancer all over my arms and chest. It is squamous cell and its very bad. I have had 9 surgeries. This is my third week on efudex and i am so sick and miserable. Does anyone know if this is worth it? Will it be gone after 6 weeks? I feel i can not take much more . I am so depressed.

My friend who has stopped using Efudex about a week ago and then began using the Golden Salve by Equinox Biotanicals and she now is doing much better. I know where to get The Golden Salve.

quote:Originally posted by gary.wright

Hi tim3236I used Efudex about 6 months ago on my just about my whole face(male 58). I have a history of skin cancers (frozen and cut out). Treatment was twice a day for 2 weeks. The process is uncomfortable and a bit painful towards the end and is very unsightly. But it really works. The results for me were great and I considered it worth the pain and hassle.I took a break for a few months and now am a week into doing my arms. I saw a lot of forums on Efudex before my first treatment so I knew what was coming. People have different experiences and different reactions to the process but just about everyone says that the results are good. By the way I had some hemorrhoids cut out about a month ago - that's real pain and I would rather do the Efudex than repeat that one.Good luckRegardsGary

i have cancer all over my arms and chest. It is squamous cell and its very bad. I have had 9 surgeries. This is my third week on efudex and i am so sick and miserable. Does anyone know if this is worth it? Will it be gone after 6 weeks? I feel i can not take much more . I am so depressed.

hi I'm not a DR I'm a patient like you .I have surf all cure treatment on the web I tray what make seance to me . I cure my salf by what it call 35% food grade H2o2delite it by distlete water 1 part of H2o2 and 11 part of distelet water soak a cotton bole and play the wound by this mix 1/11. 10 to 15 time a day. You will be cure in lass then a week.

I've found the worst part of the Efudex experience to be the recovery period; if you want to avoid cracking, burning and itching after you've stopped using Efudex, use A&D ointment. Just slather it on whatever area is bothering you and the relief is almost instantaneous...of course your face looks very greasy while it's on but who cares!

I was just diagnosed with bcc on my legs and actinec keratoses on my chest and have been prescribed Efudex. So far I've been told to use for two weeks and schedule an appt with my gp after that two weeks (dumb me didn't think to ask why). This sounds like it's supposed to be bad....will I be able to wear clothing over my chest while this is taking place? Has anyone had that problem?

I just finished my first two weeks fluorouracil 5% over my face and bald scalp. My doctor told me it would feel like a sunburn. Didnt say "like the worst sunburn you could ever imagine" My face turned bright red after about 4 days and the area around my nose soon after became swollen and cracked. Very painful. My scalp was nowhere near as painful or red.I am now starting another two weeks of fluocinolone acetonide .025. Can I expect some relief from the pain and swelling shortly? Is this just a less powerful version of the first treatment?The vaseline sounds like a good idea. Do I need to wait two hours after using the cream to apply it? I tried using moisturizer once. It was agonizing and the stinging lasted for an hour or more before it subsided to the "normal" pain level . Thank you to all that posted their experiences and suggestions. My sister is talking about trying 5fu. I am afraid to tell her of the full extent of the pain I experienced. Sounds like most suffer from substantial pain. Is this true? Should I tell her what to possibly expect?

I have completed the treatment and am pleased with the results. I had not been prepared by the Dr. for the intensity of the discomfort, and it took me by surprise. I would hope the next time I am required to do this the level of damage to my skin will have been lessened, and so also the degree of treatment discomfort.

i have cancer all over my arms and chest. It is squamous cell and its very bad. I have had 9 surgeries. This is my third week on efudex and i am so sick and miserable. Does anyone know if this is worth it? Will it be gone after 6 weeks? I feel i can not take much more . I am so depressed.

hi I have good news for you get a food grad %35 h2o2 delete it with destitute water 1 part of h2o2 to 11 parts of water [ wear a robber gloves when you mix it] now sock cotton swob and play this mix only on the wound of yours now you will see a fuss on the wound that the cancer is dying apply this mix 12 to 15 time a day in mean time inhale this mix 3 time a day you be surprise how fast you well heal. When you got better spreed the world . To buy H2o2 go to farmer supply or nutrition stores .or on line good luck.

This sounds like it's supposed to be bad....will I be able to wear clothing over my chest while this is taking place? Has anyone had that problem?[/quote]

Sounds like you started your treatment 1 week before me. I started on Feb 14th. I have SCC and had a lump on my cheed removed so this Efodex is my next step to recovery. My doctor told me 2x day for 3 weeks. Was wondering why each person seems to be told a different length of time. How does 3 weeks manage to do the same result as say 4 or 5 weeks? Does anyone happen to know that answer?

I am doing my face in quartely sections, not sure why the doctor told me to do this other than maybe she thought my whole face at once was to hard on me. Finished me forhead on Monday, now on to my one cheek. I have not yet suffered any real pain like others are saying they had. Just now is red, raised blistered and ugly, but not too much pain.

was wondering if any one has ever used celestoderm v cream to help reduce redness and burning AFTER the efodex treatment is done.It is a cream used for swelling, itching burning for skin conditions ( betamethasone valerate)

Just finished a 2 week efudex treatment on my whole face. I had nothing on my forehead or chin but had several AK's on my cheeks,nose and between my eyes and sideburns. My dermatologist prescribed Desonide which I'm finding to help the healing process. I've had many treatments with liquid nitrogen and I sure hope this treatment and my change of way's(respect of the sun) will keep me out of the doctors chair except for checkups.

I am currently on week two of Efudix 5%. I look terrible and it feels terrible as well. Have way more skin cancers on my face than I realised. I am supposed to keep applying the cream for another week but my skin is broken, sore and pussie in places that I don't know if I should. I will be pleased when it is all over and I can go out in public again. Luckily I have a makeup that is like spac filler for covering up the damage. LOL

Hi Suesie 2000, We are just across the ocean from you in South Africa and I am in the same stage of efudex treatment as your good self - day 17 for me. My face looks like something out of the chamber of horrors - a human raw hamburger.

It all started with a couple of little dry patches on my cheeks that would not go away. I went to see the Doc and then a Derm and was told it was Solar Keratosis and if I had left it a year or so I would have had skin cancer. Right now I am feeling near on suicidal -I keep wondering if I will ever look normal again. Anyway, I went down to the pharmacy yesterday because one of the pharmacists has done the Efudex treatment himself. I got no sympathy whatsoever - I was asked if I wanted the good news or the bad news. So I opeted for the bad news - I was told that it would get worse. So I asked what the good news was and was told that once treament was complete my face would be as smooth as a baby's bum. So there is light at the end of the tunnel! Ciao Uncle Paul

Disclaimer: The three most common types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. While melanoma is the most dangerous type, keep in mind that any cancer and potentially some cancer treatments can cause injury or death. The various views expressed in these public forums should not be considered as medical advice. See your qualified health-care professional for medical attention, advice, diagnosis, and treatments.